Ordinary Hero
by MadaMag
Summary: Diego shows his father the ordinary man behind the hero’s mask.


Title: Ordinary Hero

Autor: MEG

Rated: PG

Summary: Diego shows his father the ordinary man behind the hero's mask.

It is evening. Both of de la Vegas and their guest, Victoria Escalante, are sitting in library. After a delicious dinner don Alejandro and the young people choose to read something instead of going to the garden.

A cold, wild wind blows around the house giving it a creepy sphere. However in the library it is nicely warm and quiet. Don Alejandro is taken away by his book, when he heard Victoria's voice, drawing his attention.

"What do _you _know about love, Diego?" She says with amusement. Don Alejandro looks at his son, furtively agreeing with the fiery senorita.

Diego turns his back to Victoria so she can't see his face. He looks at bookcase, but his face is reflecting in doors made of glass, making his father able to see his expression very clearly.

"Really, what _I_ do know about love..?" His sad voice, but more the pain on his face, makes don Alejandro's heart stand still.

Victoria jerks and moves over to him.

"I'm sorry, Diego. I haven't been thinking..." She places comforting hand upon his shoulder.

Diego turns to her with tender smile.

"Is all right, Victoria. It's not your fault." He says, but isn't looking to her eyes, which not unusual for him, but this time, she knows she has hurt him deeply. She remembers his statement about another women. Women with whom he is in love, but who doesn't love him back.

Don Alejandro looks at both of them. But they refuse to continue this topic.

After few moments Victoria begins to taking her leave. Even if Diego says that he doesn't mind, she feel uncomfortable around him for now.

ZZZ

Don Alejandro can't take off his mind the pain, he saw on his son's face. It was no imagination, this time he is sure. He can't stand it, so he goes to library, where he knows he will find his son.

"Diego, can I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Father. What's about?" Diego's face is like ever, gentle and calm. On his lips there is a little smile, which his father knows so well. He immediately understands, his son will try to change the uncomfortable theme if he start to speak about.

"Please, come to my workroom." He says firm. There, on his field he hopes to have a better chance to drag a confession out of his son.

Diego obedient follow his father. He recollects himself as a little boy going behind his father like today. It was always when his father wanted to have a serious word with his only son. Diego has an idea what his father would like to ask, or to hear, today. He sighs heavy.

He doesn't want to hide today. He has enough of the deception, of the acting and hiding for his father. It's all because of this weather. He though sarcastic, but it didn't lighten his mood.

Don Alejandro sits behind a large mahogany desk. He shows his son a chair at the opposite site. He has remembered that Diego, when he was a child, must stand at attention all time his father lectured him. But his son is an adult now. And he isn't going to lecture him. On contrary, this time he would like be the one who is listening.

It is quiet in the room, despite of the wind raging at the other side the window. Suddenly don Alejandro is scared to break this silence. He knows that his son is much better with words than he is. If Diego doesn't want to talk about some topic, he is able to change it so carefully, that his father doesn't even know when. Don Alejandro looks at his son.

It is rare that he looks his son straight in his eyes. Most of time Diego, knowing the disappointment he is for his father, refuses to look at him. But this evening is different. Diego doesn't hide for his father. And Don Alejandro is allowed to see his son's soul.

He is taking aback. He hasn't expected to see so much tenderness and wisdom in there. It's as if he is looking in eyes of an old man. A man that has been seeing many good and many bad things in his life. Things, which have changed this man's life forever. Don Alejandro is not sure if he has the right to break into this private life.

Diego smiles at his father and that gives him the strength to speak. This is no the usually 'Excuse me whatever I done this time...' or 'I don't want speak with you about, Father...' smile. It is a smile of a son who has ever looked up to his father and deeply loves him.

Don Alejandro smiles back at him and breaks the silence.

"Diego... I know you have many secrets for me. I can't take it amiss. I often had the impression that I haven't given you enough attention. I let my anger easy take over and I didn't listen what you were saying to me. Yes, I heard your words, but I didn't try to discover what's behind them."

Diego sits without a moving an inch. He knows that his father is right. He yearns for more attention from his father, but on the contrary he knows how much difficult Zorro's life would be, if his father paid more attention to him. He can't decide what is more important for him. More attention from his father or the knowledge that his father is safe. Until now his father's safety has always been more important.

"I have seen your face when Victoria said, that you know nothing about real love. And her concern for you was obvious to me. She knows more about your love life than I do. Could you share this part of your life with me?"

"Father..." Diego begins in his 'it's not important' voice, but Don Alejandro is cutting him off.

"Diego, please. I heard your sad voice and I saw your face. I would never like to see something like that on my only son's face. Maybe I am not able to help you, but I would like to understand your feelings. Please, don't throw me away." Don Alejandro looks at his son and doesn't know what more to say.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be sorry in the future that I will talk with you now." Diego begins to talk and is silent again. Don Alejandro wisely doesn't push him. Diego closes his eyes.

"I think I should start from the beginning. Your son, called Diego, who shows no interest in woman, was about to get married one time. He met a woman named Zafira in Madrid and wanted to make her his wife. Everything was prepared and he was waiting at the altar for her. But she never showed up. The next week he was sealing back home in California." Diego takes a breath, but his eyes are still closed. "After a few years a performance group was in Los Angeles. One of the people was Zafira. She claimed still to be in love with him. There were only three problems. And the most important was, that Diego didn't love her anymore. He told her that and explained that his heart belonged to someone else. Victoria was there and overheard that and later she asked who this new love of Diego was. He told her that he was in love with a woman who turned out to love another man."

Diego is silent one more time. Before Don Alejandro is able to say something he opens his eyes and adds. "That is a background for all what comes next."

Diego rises and starts walking around the room. Don Alejandro can't wait for him to continue and so he is asking.

"So, the ground that this Diego doesn't get married, isn't that he doesn't _want _to be married. He wants to be married, but with the woman he is in love. Do you think that I could possibly get to know her name?"

Diego is making few steps and resting his hands at chair support. He is looking straight at his father with a wry smile.

"I would say it's quite obvious with _whom _I'm in love, Father."

Not comprehending his son, Don Alejandro is looking at him. Then slowly he is beginning to understand. There is only one senorita in the whole town to whom his son gives his attention.

"Victoria..." He says in a whisper and Diego isn't looking away. "But, Diego... If you love her, why..."

Diego is shaking his head.

"You don't understand, Father." He begins walk around the room anew.

"Love is a strange thing. It is the most strong but the most feeble feature of a man either. I'm not in a competition with Zorro. I'm only a man, he is a legend. And, to be honest, this is the whole – and only – problem."

Don Alejandro is looking a bit puzzled at his son. "I don't think I can keep up with you..."

"Victoria is in love with a legend. She isn't in love in the man behind the mask, because she never saw him."

"What do you mean with that? He is carrying the mask, but..."

"I'm not speaking about the mask. I'm speaking about the _man_." Diego is interrupting him, but seeing that he isn't being understood he tries to explain.

"Zorro has become a legend. He has made a legend of himself. People see him as an ideal, someone who never fail. He is always in a good mood, ready to make fun of alcalde. He is never sick, never comes too late. Scars and bullets are nothing to him. Even if he gets injured in few days he is back, ready to fight." Diego is shaking his head while talking about so ridicules things.

"This opinion of Zorro is shared by everyone. You, Victoria, the people, even the alcalde. It's necessary for him to survive. Soldiers are thinking they can't catch him and they didn't catch him. They think they can't shot him down and they didn't even take proper aim at him. People are thinking that he can do everything and they believe in him. If he is wounded no one is really worried about him. He is Zorro, he will be all right." Diego is looking directly at his father who is listening at him with open mouth. Everything his son has been saying is true.

"That's why I am telling you that Victoria never doesn't see the real man. The man who has had a bad day, who has headache. She doesn't know him in daily life, with all his fault and troubles... Do you understand what I mean?" Diego is interrupting himself.

"Yes. I see what you mean. It's difficult to be compared with an ideal. But don't you think he is too unrealistic? You, on the contrary are a normal, but a very real man. I suppose if you tried a bit, you would win the heart of every senorita, even Victoria's." Don Alejandro is saying with an unexpected confidence in Diego's abilities.

"Yes, maybe I could..." Diego is getting into his own thoughts again. "But what with the people?" He is asking aloud unaware that his father can't hurry along his thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

Diego is looking at his father and is shaking his head. He should remember that he is talking from Diego's point of view, not Zorro's.

"If I could conquer Victoria's love, what would happen with Zorro? Like I say... Love is a strong feature. Love is, what helps Zorro to fight for the people. Without Victoria's love he wouldn't have such passion for that work. I on the contrary, if Victoria married him, she would know as well as I am how many times Zorro is wounded, how many times he is failure. She would see the ordinary man behind the mask. She would see that a single bullet or one false step could kill him. And she would really start worrying about him. She would beg him to stop riding and because of his love for her he would stop riding. And the people would be without protection." Diego is shaking his head again.

Don Alejandro can't understand Diego's dilemma. If he is loving Victoria there should be nothing to stop him to make her his wife. The responsibility that Diego is trying to get on his shoulder is too great for one man.

"Do you think she would allow him riding if she saw the real man behind the mask?" Diego asks his father with full attention for his answer.

"I don't know, Diego. Victoria is a very strong woman. But she is a woman and no woman will like seeing her love dying." Don Alejandro answers as honest as he can.

"It's late. I'm going to bed." Diego is pronouncing and is going through the door.

Don Alejandro is putting his head in his hand. But before he is able to get coherent thoughts he is once more disturb.

"Do you _really _think, that boring, ordinary and passive Diego could win Victoria's heart?" Asks Diego rethorically while putting his head through the door, but doesn't wait for respond. He is finally going away.

ZZZ

Don Alejandro sits behind the table in the tavern. He looks at Victoria and thinks about his son's words. If she would know how many times Zorro has been wounded as well as I do... The ordinary man behind the mask. He has paid attention when his son spoke these words. And for all that what Diego said and known about Zorro he has to conclude, that his son knows who Zorro really is. If this is the case, he will understand why Diego doesn't want to court Victoria. He doesn't want to lose Zorro's trust.

He is so lost in his own thought that he hasn't heard that Zorro has arrived at the pueblo. It is Victoria who makes him aware of it. The plaza is filled with people, so he and Victoria remain at the tavern porch. Victoria's face glows for her masked love. But don Alejandro is continually lost in thought about his son's words.

Then lancers begin shooting and don Alejandro is knock out of his thoughts. He looks up at the black hero. Exactly at the same moment a bullet reaches Zorro's back and don Alejandro sees the ordinary man behind the mask.

Don Alejandro stand frozen to his place until Zorro is passing pueblo's gate. All blood is drained from old don face and slowly he begins sliding down.

Victoria, seeing that something is happening to the old don, helps him to sit down.

"Don Alejandro?" She ask with concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. But Victoria..." He grasps her shoulder. "He is wounded." He say with alarm in his voice.

Victoria, being scared a bit, tries to comfort older caballero.

"He is Zorro. He will be all right, I'm sure."

Don Alejandro looks at her with an astonish expression.

"I'm not talking about Zorro. I'm talking about the ordinary man _behind _the mask." He says, then rather harsh he pushes her away. In a few seconds he is riding out of pueblo.

ZZZ

"Diego! Diego, answer me!" Don Alejandro call. His voice, full of fear, is heard in the cave very well. Diego, without the mask, but in the closes of Zorro, looks at Felipe, who is trying to stop the bleeding.

"Felipe, I'm afraid father recognized me today at the plaza. Could you go and see what he wants? If he knows, bring him here."

Felipe looks at his friend. He knows only a bit about Diego's talk with father last night. But he doesn't know why Diego is thinking that his father knows about his secret now.

While worrying that don Alejandro's hysterical voice alarms the servants Felipe goes through the secret passage to his elder patron.

"Felipe, do you know where is Diego?" Felipe nods.

"Take me to him." Don Alejandro commands. Felipe struggles unsure what to do.

"If you know where he is, you know that he is wounded." Don Alejandro look at him suspected and making Felipe know what to do. He gives him a sign to come with him.

After a moment don Alejandro stays astonished in the cave. He looks around and sees the laboratory, the black stallion, blades and foils for exercises.

"I have said I'll be sorry for our last night talk." A voice catches his attention.

"Diego! Are you all right?" He is immediately at his side.

"I'm as all right as one can be with a bullet hole in your shoulder." He answers with 'Zorro's' grim. "I'll be all right. No need to worry, Father." He adds serious.

"I thought about your words and then I saw the legend. And then I was seeing only the ordinary man behind the mask, my son." Don Alejandro explains in shaky voice. "An ordinary man, that even one bullet could kill."

Diego looks warmly at him.

"But I'm the legend too. It's not so easy to kill me. Wait a few minutes. When the anaesthesia begins to work I will be able to answer all your question. I hope for one you already know the answer. Why I didn't want you to know that I'm Zorro."

Diego, despite of the pain, is smiling in assurance at his father.


End file.
